Washington Aims to Make War With Russia
Inevitable
Russian efforts to broker peace in Syria and
Ukraine are now in tatters, as Washington revs
up its war rhetoric and throws caution to the
wind. They want war, and they just might get it.
By Rudy Panko
February
23, 2017 "Information
Clearing House"
- "RI"
- It is now crystal clear that Washington
and its client states have done everything in
their power to sabotage the tentative peace
settlement in Syria and provoke a fresh outbreak
of fighting in East Ukraine.
Even the abstract concept of "talking" to the
Russians is now considered an act of treason.
Just ask Michael Flynn. When Tillerson had his
first meeting with Lavrov in Bonn,
he very anxiously shut out the press,
in direct affront to normal protocol. No
American official wants to be caught on camera
talking with a Russian.
As a general observation,
it's a very bad time to be alive if you're a
Russian diplomat.
Here's the latest on the fragile Syria ceasefire
and peace settlement: Western NGOs are
working around the clock
to discredit and demonize the Syrian government.
Every few days we are now seeing new reports
about Russian and Syrian atrocities, giving
ammunition to "moderate rebels" and their
delegations that will be used to
self-righteously reject any peace settlement.
The media is already waiting on the sidelines,
ready to declare peace talks as an outrageous
whitewash of Assad's "crimes".
We're not being dramatic. Here's a press release
from Human Rights Watch
about the upcoming talks in Geneva:
In
light of the Syrian government’s repeated
war crimes and widespread and systematic
human rights violations, including the
unlawful use of weapons, all states,
including those involved in the
negotiations, should make a commitment to
stop transferring all arms, related
equipment, and logistical support to the
Syrian government until the abuses stop and
responsible parties are held to account.
States should also stop providing such
support to armed opposition groups that have
been found responsible for widespread or
systematic human rights abuses or war
crimes.
The
US-led coalition should take fully into
account that the Russia-Syria coalition has
repeatedly committed war crimes under the
guise of fighting terrorism, and that any
cooperation with Russia in the fight against
the Islamic State (also known as ISIS) in
Syria should ensure that it is not complicit
in such crimes.
Not
even trying to hide their disdain for the truth.
Meanwhile, Russian military advisors
are being killed in well-timed, well-executed
bomb attacks —
with no terrorist organization or militia taking
credit.
On top
of all this: the "rebel" delegation refuses to
recognize Tehran as a third guarantor of the
ceasefire. And fighting around the suburbs of
Damascus now challenges the idea that there even
is a ceasefire.
In
Ukraine, things have gone from bad to worse:
Fighting in Avdiyevka, close to the biggest
rebel-held city of Donetsk, has flared up. At
least a dozen civilians have been killed and
scores wounded. Kiev is using the uptick in
violence as proof of renewed "Russian
aggression".
One fact Kiev has been
less eager to advertise
is that it is precisely the government side
which is behind the recent escalation. Radio
Free Europe (of all outlets)
reports that
recently the Ukrainians have gone on the
offensive by infiltrating the "no man's land",
usually under cover of the night, and setting up
new positions almost hugging the rebel front
line. This clear violation of the Minsk
protocols is now being blamed on Russia by every
western news outlet and government.
In a recent visit to Ukraine, U.S. Senator
Lindsey Graham
told Ukrainian troops:
All of
us will go back to Washington and we will
push the case against Russia. Enough of a
Russian aggression. It is time for them to
pay a heavier price. Your fight is our
fight, 2017 will be the year of offense.
Graham reaffirmed his commitment to war just
yesterday,
when he declared
2017 to be the year of "kicking Russia in the
ass".
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It's
time to face the music: Donald Trump was not
able to rein in the permanent war state. He is
probably playing golf, right now, as the real
powerbrokers in Washington prepare their next
provocation.
As Pat Buchanan
wrote yesterday:
The
epidemic of Russophobia makes it almost
impossible to pursue normal relations.
Indeed, in reaction to the constant attacks
on them as poodles of Putin, the White House
seems to be toughening up toward Russia.
Thus
we see U.S. troops headed for Poland,
Bulgaria, Romania, NATO troops being sent
into the Baltic States, and new tough
rhetoric from the White House about Russia
having to restore Crimea to Ukraine. We read
of Russian spy ships off the coast, Russian
planes buzzing U.S. warships in the Black
Sea, Russians deploying missiles outlawed by
the arms control agreement of 1987.
An
Ohio-class U.S. sub just test-fired four
Trident missiles, which carry thermonuclear
warheads, off the Pacific coast.
Any
hope of cutting a deal for a truce in east
Ukraine, a lifting of sanctions, and
bringing Russia back into Europe seems to be
fading.
Where
Russians saw hope with Trump’s election,
they are now apparently yielding to
disillusionment and despair.
The
question arises: If not toward better
relations with Russia, where are we going
with this bellicosity?
Russia
has tried every diplomatic means possible to
find peaceful settlements to the conflicts that
Washington has started. These efforts have been
sabotaged.
And now
Washington aims to make war with Russia
inevitable. If it's not careful, it might just
get what it wants.
